We all know the Olympic Games is coming to town. It’s getting closer and the clock is ticking, will we cope? Will the London Tube system handle all the extra people? How many medals will Team GB win? Anyone fancy a legacy? Will it make kids thin again? All those words are echoing around the UK media. I don’t have the answers.
But what I can explore is a new view, certainly to me anyway, as I’ve only had it about 5 minutes. London 2012 represents many things and has many hot topics, not least the L-word: Legacy. Defined as anything you want it to be, depending upon who you’re talking to, so I may as well chuck my own legacy-hat in the Olympic Ring…
Welcome to the world of collaboration
In marketing, we often discuss new platforms, will it be Facebook, Twitter, an app or something more traditional? But whilst all these platforms (and many more) have a huge role to play in the future for sponsorship, it’s finding better and more interesting ways to work together that will define the next generation of our industry. How will we combine the creativity and know-how across the marketing industry and beyond, to create truer forms of engagement and understanding?
What does this all mean for the Games?
For me, this is indeed the opportunity that smacks us in the face. I’m privileged to work for Engine, a place designed to create, embrace and accelerate the fast-changing collaboration process, which we leverage across all kinds of brands and all kinds of projects and campaigns. But London 2012 will, and is, enabling all types of cross-functional working, taking down barriers to make the best of British talent. Look at the architectural brilliance of the venues, the undeniably efficient construction projects, or how government and other public bodies are finding ways to work together towards a single goal.
We have the world’s biggest sporting event, in one of the most creative, digitally-savvy and energetic cities on the planet; I’m pretty sure an opportunity like this is rare. True, lots of us realise it’s coming and are grinding away to try and deliver something of marketing genius. Some of us certainly will.
But the opportunity to create truly integrated working — when we merge brains, disciplines or even industries — will have by far and away the biggest impact and lasting legacy on our industry. At least it certainly should do.
I believe we do ‘forced change’ particularly well in the UK. Take the recent and awful riots across London and other UK cities. It was something that no one anticipated or wanted to see, and yet, we’re already seeing huge change programmes implemented, from the top of government to tiny communities projects. Knee-jerk probably, but very much needed too. Change is vital to ensure these challenges are addressed, to give young people the opportunities they deserve to take a grip of their own futures.
In a very different way, the Games provides a similar vehicle to force change, the immovable deadline of London 2012 creates the pressure and dynamic environment to really make things happen. Decisions, teamwork, integration — none of these are optional and they have to happen, and quickly, to make certain the Games can be deserving of its title — the greatest show on earth. I say, embrace change, collaboration, integration — all of it.
Collaboration is a wonderful thing but, much like the old legacy word, it’s a very easy thing to say, much more difficult to put in practice. Our ongoing challenge is to continually challenge ourselves, to work together to make the cleverest, most creative and most integrated campaigns ever. Then afterwards? Keep on doing it, of course.
Not reading anything new? I completely agree, this thinking has been around for a long time. But — and it’s a big but — there’s a massive difference between thinking and doing. In the words of the most famous Olympic ambusher…
Recently, royalty has been back on the agenda in a big way – the Wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge having engaged the nation – and this got me thinking about another monarchy-related expression: content is King.
If I were to say content is King, I certainly wouldn’t be the first, and most definitely not the last. So, I’m not going to say that, because: a) it’s too obvious and b) I don’t actually happen to believe it (which is probably far more important).
Ok then, what am I going to say? Content is important, most certainly, but I happen to believe where you put your content is as equally important as the content itself. In the modern world we might call this a bromance between two Kings: medium and message.
Like it or not, we live in a world of complex communication, a place where options are almost unlimited and wherever you turn someone is trying to engage you. In the marketing world this makes our lives increasingly more appealing – how do we target someone at the right place, time and price?
Targeting has always been a science, but if you overlay that science with the art form of engagement that we as marketers all crave, we suddenly create a complicated scenario where two separate worlds collide. And this is where it begins to get really interesting.
Why am I making this point?
Well, with such a complicated world, what’s the best way to reach your audience? It’s to tap into a passion point and create a content expectation that is authentic and helps you go beyond your brand to engage; sponsorship done correctly can be a hugely effective means to achieve this goal.
Of course, this is not new but what is evolving is how we can offer content of absolute relevance. We live in an instantaneous world and we no longer savour anticipation; that feeling of excitement of picking up your holiday snaps from the chemist, or waiting for that first phone call from a new girlfriend before the days of mobiles. Sadly, these things are in the past, we want our content right now – we wait for no one.
New channels can be invented overnight, Apple’s iPhone campaign with the line ‘There’s an app for that‘ created an (almost) brand new channel instantaneously – and as brands and content owners we need to be prepared for these additions to an already diverse and cluttered media offering. But this brings opportunity too, as we now have the ability to target like never before.
It’s a data-driven world – so now we can reach consumers by means never previously imagined. The digital world has enabled us to target our audience with military-like precision and this fuels huge opportunity across all sectors.
But what does this mean for sponsorship?
Sponsorship is born out of understanding of a target audience, their habits and their passion points. It is about matching people’s interests to brands and products in the most engaging of ways – through an emotive connection. In today’s market, it presents an incredibly powerful content platform to connect with your audience. It’s certainly not a simple art, but for me every partnership strategy should put content at its heart.
Who’s doing it well? The evolution of brand content has developed so quickly in the last few years, it’s now part of nearly every (good) strategy. There are some great examples out there and I’ve picked out some personal favourites, but I think what makes this fascinating is the fact the content can be so different. It could be an app, it could be social or it could still be one of the more traditional routes. But, these examples all have some key common factors:
Nike has been a master of using endorsement for a long time, indeed the brand revolutionised the industry with the innovation of Air Jordan in the 1980s and is a strategy the still holds firm today (it was also the winner of our Greatest Sports Marketing Innovation Poll). For the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nike created the Write the Future campaign; a fantastic example of putting the emotion of the Tournament at the centre of the brand’s content:
To promote its association with World Fair Trade Day 2011, Ben & Jerry’s has created a quite brilliant campaign to “Put your unused Twitter characters to good use”. Whenever users place a post on Twitter, the application turns any unused characters into a message about Fair Trade. It’s a brilliant cause and a really clever use of the Twitter platform, providing really valuable messaging to Fair Trade – this video explains the campaign far better than I can:
For the 2010 New York Marathon, ASICS USA put content at the heart of a new, innovative, experiential campaign for the event. The campaign centered around creating personalised supporter messages for runners from their friends and family to inspire them during the race. The messages of support were captured through social media and experiences in the build up to the marathon and then the messages were triggered by RFID tags (microchips on runners trainers) during the race. When the runners run over a sensor matt it triggered a giant LED screen which played personalised video messages from friends and family as the runners run past – genius.
Quite unusually for a rights holder, the ECB developed a great platform to help England fans follow the team throughout the recent winning Ashes campaign in Australia. The campaign had two key factors that contributed to its success: a) a victorious England b) Graham Swann – who has developed not only into the world’s best off-spinner, but must also be the most talented on-screen cricketer of his generation. His natural style in front of the camera and humorous banter helped make the films outstanding. The campaign was rewarded at the recent Sports Industry Awards, taking home the award for Best use of Digital Communication in Sport.
So, why are these great examples of content?
At the heart of all of the above campaigns is relevance; to both the brand and the audience. Good sponsorship strategy is based on connections and in all these examples it really shines through.
Looking more deeply, we can see that five key principles ring true to each example which should be applied to every sponsorship content strategy:
But what creates great content? Like almost everything else, great content is about innovation. It’s about finding something that connects and resonates with your audience and providing it how they want it, when they want it. Sure, major players in the media landscape (broadcasters and publishers) are continuing to get the lion’s share of audience, but will it always be this way?
I take an analogy I read in the Economist recently; people said the horse manure crisis in London in the 1890s would lead the city’s demise within 20 years. What they didn’t know then, was that Karl Benz would invent the motor car which made the theory obsolete, but Karl himself was also wrong. He claimed demand for motor cars would never get above a million because we would run out of chauffeurs.
The point being that content, in the connected digital world, is only just beginning and some of the innovations of the future could really start to shape a new world of content. Who’s to say brands can’t lead that?
So, is content really King? All of the examples we have looked at demonstrate creativity and innovation which for me is the common theme for success. By combing a creative approach to the key content principles it can help create a unique and relevant content strategy for your audience. Content is a major component but it must be considered alongside context by creating a collaborative approach to medium and message.
So for me content alone isn’t King, but combined with context it can be. I’d love to get your views?
To wrap this all up, I just had to share this. We recently welcomed Google to Engine for a discussion around the use of Google platforms and products for brands and they shared one of their favourite campaigns: Converse Domination. It’s one of the best examples of a brand putting content at the heart of their campaign and is a true demonstration of the five key principles in action. From audience understanding, to having fun the campaign truly has it all. Enjoy!
The sports world was out in force to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Sports Industry Awards last week. It was a great occasion and we’re delighted to have been recognised for our work with Bupa and the Great Run Series.
The Sports Industry Award judges had this to say on the campaign:
Bupa’s sponsorship of the Great North Run was an ideal platform to demonstrate the brand’s status as a leader in healthcare, whilst also enabling it to build relevance and familiarity through a number of different touch points. Bupa developed a new brand positioning using the ‘Bupa: with you every step of the way’ strap line. This included the launch of the ‘Bupa Run Check’ – a service for runners with sports physiotherapists providing bespoke diagnostics & advice.
The brand also undertook a pre-race engagement campaign, utilising a specially created running website, engagement with the Great Run database and an editorial partnership with The Telegraph Media Group to showcase its expertise. The campaign results backed up the judging panel’s view that Bupa had optimised the perfect brand fit between the two entities to the best of its ability. According to Hall & Partners research, 51% of those questioned stated that the sponsorship gives them a better impression of Bupa while 74% of runners added that the ‘Bupa Boost Zone’ presence on race day enhanced their experience of the event.
The Bupa Boost Zone
Naturally we’re absolutely delighted and I’m sure it was a great honour for Kirsty Gallacher to meet me and handover the crown!
Left to right: Kirsty Gallacher (TV Presenter), Ben Wilkinson (Synergy), Fiona Vigar (Bupa) and James Anderson (England Cricket).
What happened? The Orange BAFTAs took place took place on Sunday 13 February 2011. The sponsorship is well established and for 2011 the brand once again created an interesting and engaging sponsorship activation campaign. Below follows the brief highlights of the 2011 campaign.
1.The Flickometer
The Flickometer is a really visual adaptation of a Twitter Cloud to show real time content from the film nominees on the social media platform as they happen.
2. Orange Wednesdays
It’s now pretty well known and has been a major feature of the Orange Film strategy since 2009. It’s still a major asset and providing a major consistent connection for Orange customers throughout the year with the two-for-one offer every Wednesday – complemented by brand partnerships with likes of Pizza Express for an even more complete two-for-one experience. The concept is also integrated on the evening of the Orange BAFTAs including the Orange Wednesday’s red-carpet, hosted this year by the fabulous Rachel Stevens.
3. The night itself
How could you miss the night itself, with glamour and style by the bucket load, every film lover in the land was tuned in to watch a great evening of TV entertainment, which led to huge national media coverage.
Why we love it: The campaign was integrated with through the line activation across many different levels – from the top of the spectrum at the Orange BAFTAs themselves, right down to through consumer touch-points with two-for-one cinema tickets. The campaign is not new, but each year has been injected with an energy and vibrancy that is too often missing in long-lasting sponsorships (obviously this needn’t be the case). Orange has become a really credible brand in film.
Of course, a great brand platform needs to be backed up with fantastic activation and Orange did not let us down.
I enjoyed my tube ride in this morning, a rare thing indeed. Maybe it’s all the work TFL is doing to upgrade the service in time for the arrival of the greatest show on earth; London 2012.
Actually, it wasn’t that, but it was the sight of many Londoners excitedly flicking through their Metro in the knowledge that London 2012 Olympic Games tickets are now on sale. Of course a major landmark for any Games.
For sponsors, and of course ambushers, this is also a major moment in the London 2012 time-line. We will now begin to see a major raise in public awareness and excitement for the Games, ever increasing as the days and weeks tick away towards the major momentum shifter; when the Olympic Torch Relay arrives on UK shores on Friday 18 May 2012, taking the experience to an entirely new level.
For me, today marks the beginning, the beginning of the activation opportunity in earnest. It’s the time to start the real work, to maximum impact in the swell of national interest, tapping into what will be an ever increasing public passion for the Games, between now and the end of 2012. The Games will be a exceptional time in Great Britain’s history, a rare time when the nation will unite as one and brands who create a role as part of this unique experience will, in my view, be the big winners.
Today we’ve seen a host of tactical brand activity to support LOCOG’s major announcement, and rightly so, but I believe the brands who make the biggest impact will be those brave enough to stand alone. Of course, this will include activation around the major landmarks, but what I mean is creating something that is truly unique to provide something inspiring and jaw droppingly engaging for a public that will be craving rich content that was previously unimaginable.
For now though, we’ll focus on a quick summary of some of the announcements and activity of the last 24 hours:
Omega unveiled a giant countdown clock in Trafalgar Square last night (14 March) to mark the landmark. The clock – which measures 6.5 metres high by 5.5m wide, weighs nearly five tonnes and features LED lighting strips of varying colour for night time viewing – started ticking over today and will be in place until the end of the Paralympics on September 14th 2012.
Team GB has launched a new website to celebrate the 500 days to go milestone and will focus on the new message Our Greatest Team
Football has once again the headlines. The sport is without doubt one of the most interesting spectacles in the world. It’s changed so much, particularly in the UK. It used to be as much about a player’s passion and loyalty, as skill and speed. Today the EPL seems more about finance than finesse, more about footballers than the fans.
I’m no soap opera lover, but even Eastenders or Corrie scriptwriters couldn’t have fabricated the recent transfer window plot. I have never been an advocate of the window, I feel it just creates hysteria and panic for those most desperate at each end of the table; and so it proved.
Commercially, as Paul previously covered on this blog, the window could be a major spike in brand activation. It’s a really interesting area to explore. Brands can tap into the heightened interest to really capitalise on the huge media focus. A small example, Liverpool FC’s website is reported to have hit 1.1m unique users and 8.5m page impressions on the day. Exposure and engagement with that kind of audience, many of them new, has unprecedented value to sponsors of Liverpool.
Was it properly exploited? The problem is, the window is unpredictable. Not even the rumour mill of the online world was predicting anything like the activity we saw on Monday 31st January 2011. So, it’s unlikely any brand was truly prepared to maximise Monday’s merry-go-round.
The millions of pounds circulating among football’s elite is quite astounding. Early reports indicate over £214m was spent on transfers during the window. Football does indeed have its very own league.
On the other foot, we have sports up and down the land fighting for every last penny just to help get the very basics required for their elite competitors, not to mention what’s required at the grass roots of these sports.
Next year sees the greatest sporting event come to these shores: London 2012. Many of the athletes are self-funded, those lucky enough to receive funding from the World Class Performance Programme still have to supplement their income from other activities; some even have ‘proper’ jobs.
We will also host the most amazing Paralympic Games in 2012. Just consider this, for the price of Torres (c. £50m) what you could fund in other sports, beautifully summed up in a Tweet from Jane Jones at the British Paralympic Association:
@jane_jones_gb £48m is total for Paralympic sport for 4 years. Supporting 100s of athletes who brought home 102 medals! #transferfeemadness
That’s some return for £48m and the team is promising even greater success in London. I wonder what could be achieved if the BPA were given the full £214m spent in January? Still, I’m sure the players at their new clubs will soon be kissing the badge proving their every last ounce of value.
I’ve just returned from a fabulous week at the Celtic Manor in Wales for golf’s most special event: the Ryder Cup. Now, I enjoy golf, but this is much more than that.
Indeed, it could be anything you want it to be; culture, sport, rivalry or mud. Or many other things for that matter. I loved it all.
Graeme McDowell dramatically seals victory in the Ryder Cup.
But there was one thing that fascinated me all week, and that’s the way we communicate. As a punter, you weren’t able to take mobile phones into the venue (to make sure we didn’t interrupt the play). No problem with that, this is world class sport, but what it highlighted to me, is how people love to share information.
Today, the world is fascinated with social media. Me included I’m afraid. But what I see as the common misjudgement here, is that ‘social media’ belongs purely to the digital world.
True, nowadays digital plays a fundamental role, and is the fastest and most efficient platform to take a message to the masses. This is how the term ‘social media’ has been defined. But I think it exists everywhere; far beyond digital alone.
Feel free to adapt the following for any film, music, sport or celeb event, as I think it can be applied just about about anywhere. I’ll give you some quick examples of what I’m referring to from the Ryder Cup, simply because it’s the latest thing on my mind:
a) The regular in the local pub
This lucky chap was there at the end. The man in Wales who will always be able to say “I was there”. On Monday night after the grand stand finish, he’s in his pub recounting tales to all that will listen about how “Poults” was throwing out team caps to the crowd, Jimenez smoking his fat cigar whilst swigging from a bottle of Marques de Rascal on the golf buggy and the caddies having such cracking banter with the fans on the players’ balcony.
We all know this man. Many of us have been him (or her). He loves to share.
b) The radio man
Giving his own unique version of the commentary he’s listening to (I’m certain in the hope Sky are listening, so he gets the gig for 2012). This man is sharing what he knows and what he hears from all around the course, all played to him from his latest prized possession: the official Ryder Cup radio. He tells you “Luke’s just gone two up” or “G-Mac has a three footer for a win at the 3rd” with his own ‘unique’ intelligent wit. He’s actually pretty useful, but for god sake don’t tell him.
I think (hope?) less of us know him.
But why do they share?
What makes them feel the need? It’s because sharing knowledge ahead of others offers something to make them feel special. We’ve been told for years knowledge is power, and both the above examples are a demonstration of exactly that. Human beings share something and then reflect in the glory that this information rewards them. And this power is granted because they’ve got this information first, or more likely, they ‘think’ they’ve got this information first.
Embarrassingly, I do it myself. I’m back to digital social media now, think about a retweet. People do this to share something that a) they think would be of interest to the people that follow them, and b) to show-off what they know. I’m convinced people think that certain celebs, journos, opinion formers etc have a direct line with them. It’s as if they’re talking directly to you and only you – that’s right, special little you. They’re not.
But this is how people feel. It’s a really special and significant form of communication when we get something first or personalised (or think we do). It’s then ours to share and we can use it to make people think we’re a bit more interesting, pretty helpful if you’re me, but even more so if you’re a brand involved in sponsorship, and for me this is a key area for brands to exploit.
So why does this matter to us?
Knowing and understanding that people want to be the first to know about their favourite sport, celeb or hobby, helps us plan sponsorship strategies that give the audience something unique. True, the route is most often through digital, but the important element being that it’s from the ‘inside’: making people feel like they’re there getting it first hand (particularly when they’re not).
Ian Poulter & Twitter
This blog has previously covered Ian Poulter and his Tweets. Now here’s a man who either understands his fans, or loves showing off. I tend to think it’s a bit of both. But what he does incredibly well, is share things you can’t get elsewhere which is truly what his fans crave. Insight from inside is so powerful, it means you want to share it to show what you know (and I can provide personal examples of this on Twitter). It’s shared down the pub too, so not just in the digital world (buy me a pint and I’m sure I can share an example of this too).
What digital does is give many people a voice. Individuals who may not have previously been the storyteller in the boozer now have their voice; and they use it. Sponsorship can, and is, grasping this to develop opportunities for brands to be at the heart of consumers passions. This area will continue to grow and will have even greater impact, particularly as we march closer to London 2012.
Social media provides unlimited opportunity.
There’s no doubt that the space is new and challenging. The skill is positioning the brand or message at the heart of the consumer trend or topic. So if you’re a brand, think how you can develop a way to be part to the conversation and play a role; but be transparent, open and honest.
Also be prepared that, just like in a bar, believe it or not, not everyone will like you. As the new poster for ‘The Social Network‘ Facebook film says “You don’t get 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
It’s a very exciting time when the mascots are announced for any Games. Admittedly, this excitement is normally reserved for those aged under ten, and rightly so. However, I feel very fortunate that I’m blessed with an inner child and can appreciate similar feelings of anticipation that I did back when I was six or seven years old. The more exciting thing this time though, is the fact I might actually get to meet the London 2012 editions. If you’ve yet to see them, take a look at the Telegraph’s comprehensive explanation of their design.
As you’ve probably guessed I like them. I think they offer something that will inspire and engage young people across the UK. They have a thrilling adventure ahead of them and they’ll be able to interact with their audience like never before in the history of Olympic Mascots. The speed in which both technology and young people have developed in recent years is astonishing. The digital children right across all corners of the UK will have the opportunity to follow, like and play with Wenlock and Mandeville however they choose, whenever they choose and wherever they choose. Surely this is amazing? They will take them on holiday, take them to school and probably in the bath too, and more often than not this will be through the digital channel.
I think for brands involved as Official Partners of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games this offers a unique opportunity. The mascots will play an important role in connecting with the young people, not only in terms of promoting the Games, but also as an educational inspiration. I remember how engaged I was when taught about the Olympic movement, having something so real and tangible on the door step will have an enormous impact, particularly for young boys who commonly have learning challenges in certain subjects of the curriculum in this age group. Tapping into to this market to help develop and extend the Olympic experience and involve our young nation in the Games is a fantastic opportunity and we’ll be looking to develop programmes for our clients to maximise this exciting development.
So, I hope you to get some excitement from seeing the new mascots unveiled. If they’re not for you don’t worry, but I urge you to just ask a small person their opinion in two years time, as this will be the true judge of the success of Wenlock and Mandeville. Get involved yourselves and follow them on Twitter @iamwenlock and @iammandeville and see how the story unfolds in the build up to the ever nearing London 2012. And keep your eye on this blog, as if I do get the chance to meet them the pictures will be here first!
When you’re looking to get a foothold in a very competitive industry like ours, opportunities for work experience are invaluable. This week at Synergy we have (as we often do) had an intern join us to see what really happens in a sponsorship consultancy. Edmund’s week has been filled with learning; he’s experienced all ends of the sponsorship spectrum; packed mailouts, scored the papers, set up a scaletrix track for one of our F1 clients and helped out with an NFL presscall to name but a few.
I’m sure he’s not the only one who’ll go back to school with some amazing learning experiences. However, I doubt many can top Edmund’s show and tell from the NFL photoshoot…
Edmund with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders in advance of this Sunday’s NFL fixture when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on the New England Patriots at Wembley.
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